Mask of Mine
by Marsnmango
Summary: [Takes place in Sinbad no Bouken.] Hardly a day after Valefor was conquered, the new-found crew set off towards a brand new lease on life. And yet Ja'far can't seem to understand that he is no longer a member of Sham Lash and as such, Sinbad makes it a priority to get through to him. [Contains swearing & disoriented 3AM writing]


The gracious people of Imuchakk had made preparations for the crew to leave upon their earliest convenience. Early afternoon, only a day after Valefor was conquered, they'd set off with a vast amount of profitable cargo and an insane amount of luck on a hefty ship provided by the chief himself. Rurumu and Hinahoho were the first to consort with one another once on board, chattering about this and that, about children and the possibility of them, the quantity, the weather and whatever else seemed beautifully possible at this moment. The borrowed crew of Vitel and Mahad appeared to be worrying themselves, regretfully, of the possibility of being followed.

That being said, Sinbad began sauntering around the deck in search of the newest addition to his crew and or row of new-found friends. Looking 'round and 'round, he nearly gave up hope- until he bumped into something that he must have missed entirely, having been preoccupied. "Ja'far." he stated with an expression that was neither pleased nor unhappy, "How are you settling in?"

"The fuck? Watch where you're going." he warned, giving the boy a crooked frown. It was hardly as hopeless as the look in his eyes had been prior to the rescue, but he'd seemingly lost none of the bite. "What's it to you?"

Sinbad was undeterred. His grin broke out completely and he knelt to level himself with the young boy and began determinedly tugging on his cheeks, "C'mon, show us a smile today! We're leaving this place, aren't you happy? You don't need to look so mean! You're so rude, you're so rude!" it was either a whine or incessant persistence.. Or perhaps there wasn't a difference.

Ja'far was quick to _rudely_ slap his hands away, "Die! Don't fucking touch me!"

The 'order' was obeyed but the conqueror showed no signs of leaving. "You look so scary. That's a pitiful look for a child so change your clothes and remove those bandages." For a brief moment, he sounded serious. And once again that look of evident pity crossed his eyes and Ja'far's expression was unreadable behind the mask.

He solemnly repeated, "Die. Don't touch me again or I'll kill you."

"Eh? Put that behind you!" Unable to read the atmospheric doom looming over the child's head, he tugged at his cheeks until it seemed like the boy's head was going to swell up and float right off his shoulders. He was treated with a harsh and literal bite, this time, to which he yelped. "Ah..! You're so mean..! You haven't changed at all, right?!"

Though that should have been a taboo matter given what Ja'far's past entailed, he did not try to deny it. "Do you think I'll change just because you showed some mercy? For the likes of you? Didn't I tell you that I wasn't planning on becoming anyone's subordinate..! I'll kill you, damnit! Die!"

The hollow threats were unheard as Sin rose to his knees and stretched, cleaning his ear out absentmindedly. Eventually he determined that the child was still cursing, so he lifted the boy up by the scruff of his hood. "Hey, hey. You're loud, you know? You should act like a normal child now."

As he finished that sentence, the hood tore and Ja'far hit the ground with a thud. Sinbad would have been worried if not for the fact that the kid seemed more pissed than genuinely hurt. "Bastard! I'll kill you! Die!"

"Is that all you can say-?!" Visibly distressed, he attempted to remedy the situation however it could but there seemed to be no way to extinguish the child's flame. He was certainly hot-headed. "C'mon, it was an accident! Hey! Listen!"

The curses died into low rumbles eventually, when Ja'far decided that killing him would be more of a pain than he was worth. "Bastard... Stupid... Die.."

Sin took to his knee again, "Can't you hear?" he tapped the side of his own head to affirm Ja'far's hearing problem, then began to speak with a somewhat disappointed sigh. "You are not an assassin of Sham Lash anymore. Perhaps you were once, even if it was just one day ago, but starting now you've been stripped of everything, hear me..?! That, is the only way towards a brighter future! Starting with nothing! Are you telling me that even someone like you can't let go of something as trivial as the past?"

They were experiencing one of those rare moments in which Sinbad became serious. Enough so that the attention of the nearby crew was captured; Hinahoho and Rurumu watched in silence while Vittel and Mahad were notably troubled. Firstly by the way their former chief was being addressed so bluntly (the outcome of such an offense was never a pleasant one) and secondly, the proximity in which Sinbad knelt by such an unpredictably dangerous boy.

Regardless of the weight of worry in the air, Sinbad persisted. "..Remove those bandages. You don't need to hide your face any longer. Is that understood? Ja'far!"

Even for a moment there was a strange glint in his eyes. A discrepancy from that which usually harbored malicious intent, and hopelessness. Now, the gleam that replaced it was most notably... appreciation, almost. And just a bit of bittersweet hope that accompanied the knowledge of having lost _everything,_ despite having nothing to lose to begin with.

Another moment passed but the determined expression on Sinbad's face did not waver. Subsequently, Ja'far moved. His young hands wound their way behind his head and with the sound of a delicate _slip,_ the bandages glided straight to the floor.

Wide-eyed and visible entranced, Sinbad gaped. Then, he stated simply, "Ah. I knew it." and playfully ruffled the former-assassin's long (and somewhat wild) white hair. "You look just like a child! Never hide your freckles again!"

For what might have been the first time in his life, Ja'far felt unreasonably self-conscious. He'd only ever had to worry about himself seeing his own face. Having someone else see it made the situation seem entirely too real. And yet, it was a completely welcomed experience... Naturally, uncomfortable, but something he decided he wanted to grow accustomed to.

"...Bastard." he muttered with clenched fists, striking panic in his nearby comrades' hearts. Sharp-tongue aside, he did not otherwise aim to attack.

This simple gesture of mercy was enough to give Sinbad the confidence to begin leading the child away, "Now we'll work on your clothes! Something simple and for children should suffice, right? Imuchakk gave us plenty! Pick freely!"

Ja'far was adverse to protest. He noticed how much easier it was to breathe without the mask.


End file.
